I bet I’ve watched 50+ videos on the circle of 5ths. This is the best presentation and approach I have ever seen. This will help me fill in the gaps in my game. Some of the keys are less common so I don’t see/play them much. I don’t have them memorized as a result.
Like many who have commented previously on this lesson, I too have also watched many many other RUclips video lessons on the circle of fifths. But this is truly sensational. However, at the beginning you could be forgiven for thinking that there are large sections of repetition in this video. But please persevere. This man gives so many tips and exposes so much about the circle of fifths that is not contained in many of the flashier looking RUclips lessons. So my advice would be to stick with him and listen at least a couple of times to the lesson. I am sure that like me you will learn an awful lot. Thank you so much Michael, you have saved me so time and heartache trying to figure these things out for myself.
I really appreciate this tool and your description. I play jazz and this tool will help in that genre. I’m also in the search for colors - where do I find chords and extensions to give a song a color, or mood. This will be a start plugging these into a song and see where the mood goes.
What is included: “Cowboys Go Dancing At Eight Before Five” “Dogs Are Everyones Best Friend” Moving clockwise gives you the circle of fifths. Moving counterclockwise gives you the circle of fourths. G is written with one stroke = one Sharp D has two strokes = two Sharps A has three strokes = three Sharps E has 4 strokes = four Sharps (Or just compare the right side of the circle of fifths to a clock and read what time it is = the number of Sharps) When choosing a letter in the outer circle (majors) as the key (tonic) the letter counterclockwise to it is the fourth (subdominant) the letter clockwise to it is the fifth (dominant), the 3 letters under it in the inner circle are the minors; straight underneath the tonic is the sixth (relative minor), counterclockwise of that is the second and clockwise to it is the third. Remember I, IV and V are always major, ii, iii and vi are always minor. You can use these numbers to easily communicate with you band or easily transpose to another key. 6 to 10 o’Clock are the flats.
Nicely explained but I think there's an error in the beginning (3:43) - F is a FIFTH BELOW C and a FORTH ABOVE C if you go counter clockwise. The FIFTHS clockwise and the FORTHS counter clockwise apply to the pitch going UP, and vice versa.
@@arieswaters How I understand it is...C major scale has no sharps in it, of course though, a C# major scale is different and will have C# in it. The scale he said there was no sharp in was C major which stands correct?...no?
Superb explanation; the one video I was waiting for for a long time. Thanks a lot! Why this video hasn't like 100.000 views or more is hard for me to understand.
By the way, your cough reminded me a of an actor in a certain movie in which a CEO in a board meeting is being replaced by an actor-friend who tries to cover up his having no knowledge of the matter by coughing a lot. I am so bad at remembering the movie's name as well as the actor's so if anyone can help me out here... Anyhow, this resemblance is golden because I also had to laugh out loud a couple of times because I remember this movie scene. Luckily for us, you sir have all the knowledge about this subject there is to know! I guess this combination makes this the best video I have yet seen on RUclips this year by far.
Brilliant way of explaining it. Thank you so much . I have tried so many times to get it on other videos. I will listen to this over and over again. 😊😊😊 subscribed
Note, I have to access music theory at light speed for it to be any use to my playing. Maybe if I can just remeber that C goes at 12 o'clock, this will help. Otherwise I will just noodle and ramble on. You will get the drift if I ramble here ... I mean, I don't even know if young musicians today know how to tell time by the big hand and the little hand. Personally, I set my real (digital) time clock ahead 1 hour because it has a digital output making me otherwise think it is earlier than it really is making me late. I also live in a 24 hour world which makes the time 12:30 AM confusing. I think of it as 00:30. I also think time should actually revolve around 7AM instead of midnight because people's lives and the world's activities revolve more so around 7AM than midnight. My gripe doesn't make sense unless you try to run daily process reports only to find programs divide a single work day's activities into 2 different day's and 2 different days activities into a single work day's report. Now, do you get what I mean by rambling?
I struggled with this years ago…one additional tip not often mentioned is that the sharps and flats carry over, meaning G has 1 sharp, F#,..D has two sharps carry the F# (from G) and add C#, ..A has three sharps, carry the F# and C# and add G#….etc etc
Should it not be, "6 through 11 are flats" ...rather than "6 through 10 are flats" ??? since "11" (or F) also has a flat. P.S. I really like your sincere and warm teaching voice
As you go around the wheel starting at Am then Em is a 5th above and next Bm is a 5th etc so the whole thing moves in 5ths. Same with the seconds, starting in the key of C at Dm then Am then Em etc. the two chord is a fifth away from the 6th chord and on the guitar neck there are next to each other. It's a pattern you can find and then move around so that if you know your root then you can easily find the others in any key.
Many thanks!!! This has been the best presentation of the circle because it now allows me to visualize chords, scales, intervals, and transposition without turning wheels.. Just place it on the piano like one music sheet and begin practicing everything.. I have set aside all the wheel gadgets I've accumulated and will use this simple, stationary version. Similarly, your video on note recognition is superb -- simple and straight forward..
Thanks, I've already looked at this and I politely disagree with you. I don't want to learn mneunomics for certain things. But while I was listening to you, I did find two patterns about sharps and flats. Starting on G the first sharps are just the points on the circle of fifths starting with F. The flats are just the oppositie letter, F has a Bflat and B is in the opposite six 'clock position.
Hey whatever works. I visualise the circle. Take the key of C going from 4 oclock theres the 36521 back to C. The F is the 4th. I use the word CAFE to lock in the 1 3 6 and 9 oclock. Also if you have a C drone playing a G gives you C Lydian F Gives you C Mixolydian Bb gives C Dorian Eb gives C Aeolian Ab gives C Phygian Db gives C Locrian. I remember this by Most Doors Are Painted Light.
Thank you so much! This is very interesting and you explain it so well. I have learned so much through your excellent tuition. Every good wish from me! 🙂
Would be nice to have a demo with live songs that shows what you are describing. Otherwise, it is just theory, understood. It is like someone explaining a circuit diagram with a block diagram without showing how that works in real life or vice versa. it is like being indoctrinated and not giving the viewer the full picture. Just memorizing what they teach in school is not enough, to properly educate a mind one has to teach that mind how to critically think and giving that mind the full picture helps. Theory requires practical hands-on action, but someone has to show this action also in order to grasp fully the concept.
3:32 You misspoke - Clockwise C ->G is a fifth C,D,E,F,G (1,2,3,4,5) but counterclockwise C -> F is a fourth C,D,E,F (1,2,3,4) You said "C,B,A,G,F" which is still circle of fifths but decreasing tone. This is all due to 7 semitones is the actual change. 7 - 4 = 5 is not the same as 7 - 5 = 4 but easily confused and related. Hemitonic C,C#,D,D#,E,F,F#,G =7 semitone changes and C,B,B#,A,A#,G,G# ,F also = 7 each utilizing 5 tones. But C,C#,D,D#,E,F and C,B,B#,A,A#,G = 5 semitone changes utilizing only 4 tones.
The beginning can be confusing for 2 reasons: 1) the 5ths are NOT the 5th note above the previous but the 4th above. For example: In CDEFGABC, G is the 4th note above C, but it is the 5th note in the scale. So to be precise the circle of 5ths is called so because of the position in the scale, not the number of notes above the root. 2) when going counterclockwise it is AGAIN the 5th note in the scale, and not the 4th like he says, because when going counterclockwise we then should read the scale backwards too, i.e. from right to left. What the teacher here wants to say is that if you go backwards and pick the 5th note, then this is also the 4th note in the scale forward (clockwise), but an octave higher. The way he says it, it is as if going clockwise the difference(!) is 5 but when you go back the difference(!) is 4. An obvious impossibility. (The exclamation marks refer to the fact that he says it is the 5th above and 4th below instead of their position in the scale, see point 1 above.).....ok, if you weren't confused before, you probably are now! As a bonus: why use different acronyms for 1-6 and 6-11? They are the same letters so the same acronym will do. I came up with: Can God Do An Elevated Back Flip? God Does An Elevated Back Flip!
Learn the order of sharps... F, C, G, D, A, E, B first, and then the order of flats (which is the sharps reversed). Everything can be derived from here.
I designed a tiny app many years ago that teaches to draw the circle of 5ths. I need to dig this up. I memorized all the circles of 5ths... for every single mode. Do this and learn AMAZING THINGS....
Invert intervals, they always come up to 9! A 2nd inverts to a 7th (adds to 9). A 5th inverts to a 4th (adds to 9). Etc. Every interval works like this (except compound, or more than an ocatve).
Learn all your intervals like this..... A, B, C, D, E, F, G, etc. Easy. those are ascending 2nds. Reverse this.... G, F, E, D, C, B, A... These are ascending 2nds... Now every other one... A, C, E, G, B, D, F.... These are ascending 3rds (easy way to build chords)... Reverse this..... F, D, B, G, E, C, A.... These are ascending 7ths..... Now say every fourth one..... A, D, G, C, F, B, E... These are ascending 4ths. Reverse this.... A, E, B, F, C, G, D... these are 5ths... This is all your intervals, at least the NUMBER, not the type of interval. But this is a great thing to get in the FRONT OF YOUR BRAIN.
![[Limbus Company - Teaser] Season5 - Oblivion](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8anKuEeZLeI/mqdefault.jpg)
I bet I’ve watched 50+ videos on the circle of 5ths. This is the best presentation and approach I have ever seen. This will help me fill in the gaps in my game. Some of the keys are less common so I don’t see/play them much. I don’t have them memorized as a result.
Absolutely correct 💯 you are
Makes so much MORE sense.
Glad you liked it.
Like many who have commented previously on this lesson, I too have also watched many many other RUclips video lessons on the circle of fifths. But this is truly sensational.
However, at the beginning you could be forgiven for thinking that there are large sections of repetition in this video. But please persevere. This man gives so many tips and exposes so much about the circle of fifths that is not contained in many of the flashier looking RUclips lessons. So my advice would be to stick with him and listen at least a couple of times to the lesson. I am sure that like me you will learn an awful lot.
Thank you so much Michael, you have saved me so time and heartache trying to figure these things out for myself.
You're welcome.
This is the best most comprehensive video I’ve seen on the circle of fifths. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
This has consolidated all the previous lessons I have watched r read on the Circle of Fifths. Very well put together thank you 👍🏻
Really appreciate your explanation. You are the only person who has given me a true understanding of the circle of 5th's.
I really appreciate this tool and your description. I play jazz and this tool will help in that genre. I’m also in the search for colors - where do I find chords and extensions to give a song a color, or mood. This will be a start plugging these into a song and see where the mood goes.
What is included:
“Cowboys Go Dancing At Eight Before Five”
“Dogs Are Everyones Best Friend”
Moving clockwise gives you the circle of fifths. Moving counterclockwise gives you the circle of fourths.
G is written with one stroke = one Sharp
D has two strokes = two Sharps
A has three strokes = three Sharps
E has 4 strokes = four Sharps
(Or just compare the right side of the circle of fifths to a clock and read what time it is = the number of Sharps)
When choosing a letter in the outer circle (majors) as the key (tonic) the letter counterclockwise to it is the fourth (subdominant) the letter clockwise to it is the fifth (dominant), the 3 letters under it in the inner circle are the minors; straight underneath the tonic is the sixth (relative minor), counterclockwise of that is the second and clockwise to it is the third.
Remember I, IV and V are always major, ii, iii and vi are always minor. You can use these numbers to easily communicate with you band or easily transpose to another key.
6 to 10 o’Clock are the flats.
Nicely explained but I think there's an error in the beginning (3:43) - F is a FIFTH BELOW C and a FORTH ABOVE C if you go counter clockwise. The FIFTHS clockwise and the FORTHS counter clockwise apply to the pitch going UP, and vice versa.
Wow ,I have studied this so many times and after watching this "Bam" the door opened, thank you
You're welcome
I'm only 10 mins into this video...and I learned 5 useful tips....I been studying this dang circle for years. Amazing indeed
Yeah it's great except he says there is no C sharp
@@arieswaters How I understand it is...C major scale has no sharps in it, of course though, a C# major scale is different and will have C# in it.
The scale he said there was no sharp in was C major which stands correct?...no?
You're welcome
@@arieswaters He misspoke.:)
Great explanation, finally remember something from the cicle of fifth. Thanks a lot
Superb explanation; the one video I was waiting for for a long time. Thanks a lot! Why this video hasn't like 100.000 views or more is hard for me to understand.
By the way, your cough reminded me a of an actor in a certain movie in which a CEO in a board meeting is being replaced by an actor-friend who tries to cover up his having no knowledge of the matter by coughing a lot. I am so bad at remembering the movie's name as well as the actor's so if anyone can help me out here... Anyhow, this resemblance is golden because I also had to laugh out loud a couple of times because I remember this movie scene. Luckily for us, you sir have all the knowledge about this subject there is to know! I guess this combination makes this the best video I have yet seen on RUclips this year by far.
@@martijnvanbeek4387 You're welcome
Brilliant way of explaining it. Thank you so much . I have tried so many times to get it on other videos. I will listen to this over and over again. 😊😊😊 subscribed
Wow, thanks very much for the clear explanation. This has helped me very much for my violin playing and acoustic guitar.
Thank you. The only comment I would add is to say clockwise and counterclockwise instead of right and left.
Just ordered a circle of fifths clock to put up above my keyboard.
Note, I have to access music theory at light speed for it to be any use to my playing. Maybe if I can just remeber that C goes at 12 o'clock, this will help. Otherwise I will just noodle and ramble on. You will get the drift if I ramble here ... I mean, I don't even know if young musicians today know how to tell time by the big hand and the little hand. Personally, I set my real (digital) time clock ahead 1 hour because it has a digital output making me otherwise think it is earlier than it really is making me late. I also live in a 24 hour world which makes the time 12:30 AM confusing. I think of it as 00:30. I also think time should actually revolve around 7AM instead of midnight because people's lives and the world's activities revolve more so around 7AM than midnight. My gripe doesn't make sense unless you try to run daily process reports only to find programs divide a single work day's activities into 2 different day's and 2 different days activities into a single work day's report. Now, do you get what I mean by rambling?
I struggled with this years ago…one additional tip not often mentioned is that the sharps and flats carry over, meaning G has 1 sharp, F#,..D has two sharps carry the F# (from G) and add C#, ..A has three sharps, carry the F# and C# and add G#….etc etc
Thank you so much and your explanation is Nicely arranged. Very educative piece of theories.
You're welcome
great help thanks- I never understood it until now
I like the way you teach. Thanks mate✌️
Great tutorial, where can your patrons purchase this watch or wall clock, you have displayed in this presentation?
Best description and easy to memorize and follow .. thx for the lesson..
You're welcome
Should it not be, "6 through 11 are flats" ...rather than "6 through 10 are flats" ???
since "11" (or F) also has a flat.
P.S. I really like your sincere and warm teaching voice
Where did you buy your clock. I can't find one?
Can’t thank you enough!!!!. You repeat and repeat🎸. I have been trying to understand this for years. YOU turned on the LIGHTS. 👍🏾🎸👍🏾🎸🕺🏾👍🏾🎸🕺🏾👍🏾🎸🕺🏾
Accurate title, pretty cool
really helpful thank you
You're welcome
Cool 😎 video 📹
You're welcome
Very nice explanation.
F below C is a fifth, not a fourth. It's inversion (F up from C) is a fourth.
This is really great and I'm studying it. Why do you say there is no C sharp?
As you go around the wheel starting at Am then Em is a 5th above and next Bm is a 5th etc so the whole thing moves in 5ths. Same with the seconds, starting in the key of C at Dm then Am then Em etc. the two chord is a fifth away from the 6th chord and on the guitar neck there are next to each other. It's a pattern you can find and then move around so that if you know your root then you can easily find the others in any key.
Awesome please make more videos like this !
You're welcome
now I want that clock :)
Nice Video
You're welcome
Great
I guess there is no easy way to explain the circle of fifths
You know what time it is ? It's time for some dissonance.
Do re mi fa sol la si. Si not T pronounced like C.
THIS IS ANOTHER VERSION- TI AND IN SOME COUNTRIES EVEN - H
Best video on Circle of 5ths out there!👍🏻😉👏
Many thanks!!! This has been the best presentation of the circle because it now allows me to visualize chords, scales, intervals, and transposition without turning wheels.. Just place it on the piano like one music sheet and begin practicing everything.. I have set aside all the wheel gadgets I've accumulated and will use this simple, stationary version. Similarly, your video on note recognition is superb -- simple and straight forward..
You're welcome
Thanks, I've already looked at this and I politely disagree with you. I don't want to learn mneunomics for certain things. But while I was listening to you, I did find two patterns about sharps and flats. Starting on G the first sharps are just the points on the circle of fifths starting with F. The flats are just the oppositie letter, F has a Bflat and B is in the opposite six 'clock position.
Hey whatever works. I visualise the circle. Take the key of C going from 4 oclock theres the 36521 back to C. The F is the 4th. I use the word CAFE to lock in the 1 3 6 and 9 oclock. Also if you have a C drone playing a G gives you C Lydian F Gives you C Mixolydian Bb gives C Dorian Eb gives C Aeolian Ab gives C Phygian Db gives C Locrian. I remember this by Most Doors Are Painted Light.
AMAZING!!!! THANK YOU🙏
You're welcome
Thank you so much! This is very interesting and you explain it so well. I have learned so much through your excellent tuition. Every good wish from me! 🙂
That is the coolest best darn clock I've ever seen and I love the frame too
I like “Fruit Cake Gets Dumped At Every Birthday “ better.
Is this what musicians mean when they talk about keeping time?😮
Fantastic explanation sir.
Would be nice to have a demo with live songs that shows what you are describing. Otherwise, it is just theory, understood. It is like someone explaining a circuit diagram with a block diagram without showing how that works in real life or vice versa. it is like being indoctrinated and not giving the viewer the full picture. Just memorizing what they teach in school is not enough, to properly educate a mind one has to teach that mind how to critically think and giving that mind the full picture helps. Theory requires practical hands-on action, but someone has to show this action also in order to grasp fully the concept.
3:32 You misspoke - Clockwise C ->G is a fifth C,D,E,F,G (1,2,3,4,5) but counterclockwise C -> F is a fourth C,D,E,F (1,2,3,4) You said "C,B,A,G,F" which is still circle of fifths but decreasing tone. This is all due to 7 semitones is the actual change. 7 - 4 = 5 is not the same as 7 - 5 = 4 but easily confused and related. Hemitonic C,C#,D,D#,E,F,F#,G =7 semitone changes and C,B,B#,A,A#,G,G# ,F also = 7 each utilizing 5 tones. But C,C#,D,D#,E,F and C,B,B#,A,A#,G = 5 semitone changes utilizing only 4 tones.
The beginning can be confusing for 2 reasons:
1) the 5ths are NOT the 5th note above the previous but the 4th above. For example: In CDEFGABC, G is the 4th note above C, but it is the 5th note in the scale. So to be precise the circle of 5ths is called so because of the position in the scale, not the number of notes above the root.
2) when going counterclockwise it is AGAIN the 5th note in the scale, and not the 4th like he says, because when going counterclockwise we then should read the scale backwards too, i.e. from right to left. What the teacher here wants to say is that if you go backwards and pick the 5th note, then this is also the 4th note in the scale forward (clockwise), but an octave higher. The way he says it, it is as if going clockwise the difference(!) is 5 but when you go back the difference(!) is 4. An obvious impossibility. (The exclamation marks refer to the fact that he says it is the 5th above and 4th below instead of their position in the scale, see point 1 above.).....ok, if you weren't confused before, you probably are now!
As a bonus: why use different acronyms for 1-6 and 6-11? They are the same letters so the same acronym will do. I came up with: Can God Do An Elevated Back Flip? God Does An Elevated Back Flip!
Wow
Learn the order of sharps... F, C, G, D, A, E, B first, and then the order of flats (which is the sharps reversed). Everything can be derived from here.
I designed a tiny app many years ago that teaches to draw the circle of 5ths. I need to dig this up. I memorized all the circles of 5ths... for every single mode. Do this and learn AMAZING THINGS....
Invert intervals, they always come up to 9! A 2nd inverts to a 7th (adds to 9). A 5th inverts to a 4th (adds to 9). Etc. Every interval works like this (except compound, or more than an ocatve).
Learn all your intervals like this..... A, B, C, D, E, F, G, etc. Easy. those are ascending 2nds. Reverse this.... G, F, E, D, C, B, A... These are ascending 2nds... Now every other one... A, C, E, G, B, D, F.... These are ascending 3rds (easy way to build chords)... Reverse this..... F, D, B, G, E, C, A.... These are ascending 7ths..... Now say every fourth one..... A, D, G, C, F, B, E... These are ascending 4ths. Reverse this.... A, E, B, F, C, G, D... these are 5ths... This is all your intervals, at least the NUMBER, not the type of interval. But this is a great thing to get in the FRONT OF YOUR BRAIN.
There are so many more TRICKS to really own this stuff.....
Thank you. I keep playing this over and over . You do this very well .🎸VERY healthful 🎸😊🎸😊
Thank you sir.
You're welcome
I think in fifths...I hear fifths... damn... 😞
Respect to you Sir and just 😳 wow.
i want this clocks!!!